The State of Alaska continues to promote a teen dating violence awareness campaign that directs teens and educators to abortion provider Planned Parenthood, and provides links to websites that explicitly teach youth how to explore various forms of “safe” sex.
In observance of “Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month,” the state pushed an initiative called Stand Up Speak Up Alaska, a multi-media educational campaign and website that offers promotional materials, videos, links and resources for educators and teens.
A Feb. 1 email from Kami Moore of the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) invited “all schools and youth serving organizations across Alaska to take action and raise awareness about teen dating violence.” The email was also distributed by fellow DEED staffer Erin Hardin in a Feb. 8 newsletter from the department. The emails point educators to the Stand Up Speak Up website.
One section within the Stand Up website teaches youth that in a “healthy relationship, both partners talk about and decide if they want to have sex.” The website then provides a direct link to Planned Parenthood, the largest providers of abortion in Alaska.
Stand Up Speak Up is a campaign that includes grants to support various projects around the state aimed at stamping out teen dating violence. The program’s website is a warehouse of downloadable flyers, articles, social networking sites and links to further resources.
Geared to teens ages 13-18 years old, the Stand Up Speak Up initiative was developed by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Public Health in partnership with the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.
STATE SPONSORED WEBSITE LINKED TO ABORTION, LGBTQ RESOURCES
While the Stand Up website encourages non-violent teen dating relationships, it also directly links to Planned Parenthood and other websites that promote controversial sexual practices and LGBTQ gender ideologies.
One section within the Stand Up website teaches youth that in a “healthy relationship, both partners talk about and decide if they want to have sex.” The website then provides a direct link to Planned Parenthood, the largest providers of abortion in Alaska.
The Stand Up website also provides a direct link to iknowmine.org, a program of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, which walks teens through how to order free condoms, find a nearby Planned Parenthood clinic and how to have “safe” anal and oral sex. The iknowmine program also encourages teens to question whether they are sexually attracted to the same sex and/or identify as a member of the opposite sex. The website then coaches youth how to “come out” to friends and parents.
A prominently displayed link on the homepage of the state’s Stand Up Speak Up website points educators and teens to loveisrespect.org, which the Stand Up website calls “one of our go to resources” for the Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention month. The Love is Respect website describes Planned Parenthood as “an excellent resource for learning about different methods of birth control and finding a provider in your area!”
One of the many articles on loveisrespect.org asks teens if they are “into kinky sex?” The article states that there is nothing wrong with “safe and consensual sexual activities” that involve “bondage, pain or submission, as long as the relationship itself is healthy and respectful.” This article also contains a direct link to Planned Parenthood.
Yet another loveisrespect.org article, “Is Monogamy Not Right for You,” questions whether monogamous sexual relationships are best.
“Is monogamy the only ‘right’ way to have a relationship?,” the article asks. “We live in a society that shows monogamy everywhere and highly values that structure. However, monogamy isn’t the ‘only’ or ‘right’ way.”
Other articles at loveisrespect.org coach teens on how to overcome their parents’ religious beliefs about sex being reserved for married couples.
“Even if you are in a healthy relationship and would like to have sex with your partner, some beliefs or expectations might make this decision more complicated,” one article states. “You and the people in your life might have different ideas about when or what type of sexual activity is alright and what is not.”
The article notes that some teens have to deal with parents who do “not allow you to date, let alone have sex and there is a risk they would find out.”
“You might feel like you’re choosing between what you want and what others want,” the article states. “Just remember that you are capable of making your own decisions and creating your own set of values.”
MORE STATE SEX-ED IN THE WORKS
Alaska’s Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month is part of a larger program that was signed into law by then-Governor Bill Walker in 2018.
In addition to urging schools to offer special activities during the month of February for dating violence prevention, House Bill 214 also mandates that the Alaska Department of Education develop a program relating to teen dating violence and abuse awareness for grades seven through 12th.
While this program is still under development, the law states that it must include training for employees and students, provide parental notices and allow students to be excused from participating at the written request of a parent or guardian.
The following contacts are provided for those who wish to contact state officials regarding concerns about the use of the Stand Up Speak Up website during Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness month.
Governor Mike Dunleavy
https://gov.alaska.gov/contact/
Alaska Department of Education & Early Development
E-mail Commissioner Dr. Michael Johnson
Telephone: (907) 465-2802
https://education.alaska.gov/commissioner/commissioner
Alaska Dept. of Health & Social Services
http://dhss.alaska.gov/Commissioner/Pages/Contacts/default.aspx
Adam Crum
Commissioner
Phone: (907) 269-7800
